PriusChat Forums - Gen II Prius Fuel Economy http://priuschat.com/forums en Wed, 30 May 2012 21:27:18 GMT vBulletin 60 http://priuschat.com/forums/images/silk/misc/rss.jpg PriusChat Forums - Gen II Prius Fuel Economy http://priuschat.com/forums Suspected Battery Issues, but ... http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109868&goto=newpost Sat, 26 May 2012 12:40:02 GMT So my wife's MPG has gone down from mid- to high-40s to barely 40. We've taken it to the dealer and they charged us $120 to run a check and said there was nothing wrong, adding that if there was something wrong with the battery I'd get a warning light, anyway.

So, took her car to get some gas for it and coffee for me ... battery meters was about 75% full when I took off. About a half mile later I noticed it had DROPPED to 40 percent. At that point I filled it up.

When I started it up, I noticed it was now in the purple range. It stayed that way until I got home (after stopping for coffee, too).

Total trip is only about 1.5 miles.

This has been a fairly typical scenario lately, but this was certainly more extreme.

So I think there is something wrong with the way the batteries are charged or the batteries themselves. Toyota disagrees (car is still under warranty).

I DID read another post here that said that the reg. old 12v battery could have something to do with it. She has sched. maint. soon so we are changing that then, but I dunno why it should matter.

Ideas? Recourse? ]]> Gen II Prius Fuel Economy Iria http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109868 HELP needed in mileage on a used 2008 prius http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109583&goto=newpost Mon, 21 May 2012 20:28:11 GMT (Also posted in Prius II main forum) Love the discussion here and learn a lot. I am in the market for a used prius and came across a 2009 prius... (Also posted in Prius II main forum)
Love the discussion here and learn a lot.

I am in the market for a used prius and came across a 2009 prius on craigslist, which I test drove. I havent owned a prius before, but I loved the car overall. It is loaded with leather, nav, bluetooth etc. (I think it is with package #6). KBB costs it at about 19k.

I have three questions:
* The average mileage that this seller has gotten in 36 mpg, which was a huge surprise to me! Granted this is in SFO with hills, etc. but this seems to be a huge red flag to me. Any thoughts on whether this is a systemic issue with the vehicle vs just bad driving?
* The car has about 45k miles, which is on the lower side. However other cars with much higher miles (70k to 110k) go for around 12 to 14k, and am curious why the price difference is so high with higher miles
* There was a clapping sound when I braked hard, and slight rattling, should I be worried (is this indicative of a bigger problem)?

Thanks in advance for all the insights and tips. ]]> Gen II Prius Fuel Economy aragon http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109583 Learning about Gallons/100 Miles making me question hypermiling http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109494&goto=newpost Sun, 20 May 2012 06:19:53 GMT So I didn't understand before about gallons/100 miles. In my mind improving MPG from 10-15 was the same as improving it from 50-55 in terms of saving you gas money. I see now the fallacy of my thinking!

But, this has me wondering: Is it nearly pointless to try to wring extra efficiency out of something already so efficient?

My wife drives the opposite of hypermiling. Zooms off the line, screeches to a halt. She drives a Subaru Tribeca that is rated 21mpg or so. She uses a *lot* of gas.

I'm in the Prius hypermiling.

Wouldn't it make more sense to put her in the Prius where even if she drives like a maniac she pretty much can't help but get very respectable mileage and I drive the Tribeca and hypermile it where I don't mind doing it (she HATES it) and I'll get a much larger family bang for the buck?

We drive similar commute distances so it's not like I'd be adding a ton of miles in the worse MPG car.

But overall, why bother trying to wring 5 more mpg if you are already hitting 48-53 without too much effort? It's literally a few bucks every 1,000 miles. Tribeca? A lot more than a few bucks. ]]> Gen II Prius Fuel Economy akm3 http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109494 Saving gas on big hills http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109493&goto=newpost Sun, 20 May 2012 05:43:27 GMT My commute has a very large/long hill. I'm trying to save the most gas possible. Downhill is easy to keep pegged at 99.9 :) I think I've got that covered.

Uphill of course is paying the piper and it is brutal to even keep above 30mpg.

What is the best strategy for a 3+ mile 5% grade uphill? ]]> Gen II Prius Fuel Economy akm3 http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109493 50.6 yeah buddy http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109448&goto=newpost Sat, 19 May 2012 06:11:08 GMT In first week of owning this car 300 miles 1/2 city 1/2 highway. Im impressed especially with 88000 miles on car. Image:... In first week of owning this car 300 miles 1/2 city 1/2 highway. Im impressed especially with 88000 miles on car.
Click the image to open in full size. ]]> Gen II Prius Fuel Economy roostercruiser http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109448 First impressions of my new Yokohama Avid Ascends http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109238&goto=newpost Wed, 16 May 2012 00:59:07 GMT These seem to be an increasingly popular tire among Prius owners, despite the fact the tires only came out 2 months ago. Since getting them installed... These seem to be an increasingly popular tire among Prius owners, despite the fact the tires only came out 2 months ago. Since getting them installed ($372.80 after $100 MIR), I have taken one road trip and two commutes to work. All in all I have about 500 miles on the tires. My previous tires to compare them to were the Mastercraft Strategy, purchased by the owner before me. Here's what I have to say about the Yokohamas :
  1. The first thing I noticed was the way the car handled. The tires connected with the pavement in a way I can only describe as synergy. Comfortable. It felt as if the car and the road were working together to get things moving (like an invisible conveyor belt). Very secure when cranking the wheel and turning corners at slow speeds (5-10 mph). At slow speeds (5-15 mph) the handling is tight, very tight.
  2. At 25-35 mph the car rides nice and smooth. I wouldn't say it glides faster than other tires, but feels reassuring.
  3. At 40 mph the car loses a bit of its smoothness and now begins to feel average like other all-season tires. Bumps are hard and jolting. At 50 mph + you start to sway a bit and will need to keep your mind on your steering wheel.
  4. Controllability on the highway (dry) is good but not fantastic. On a windy day I was getting knocked around like a toy on the highway. This was the same way my Mastercraft tires behaved.
  5. On our jaunt to Sioux Falls we got rained on. Controllability on the highway in wet weather was frightening at best. Immediately the car started drifting and I felt very insecure. My wife begged me to slow down (we were going 65). I tested the security of the tires a little bit by gently rocking the wheel back and forth. I did NOT feel safe doing this. I did not feel like I had control of the vehicle. We were definitely hydroplaning and the tires were doing nothing to keep us from that. I slowed down to 45 or 50 and other cars passed us by without any problem.
  6. Gas mileage has been fair, I averaged around 44 mpg (as low as 36, as high as 58) on my Mastercraft Strategy's. With the Yokohama's I have generally averaged 47 (34 low and 61 high).

Overall I am not phenomenally impressed with these tires. I love how they feel at slow speeds in town, but feel drifty on the highway, and you WILL feel bumps and dips in the road. Road noise is less than average, and a few dB quieter than my last set. These tires do not fair well in a downpour, they drift a lot and make you feel out of control.

Perhaps when I get more treadwear on them I will see a significant increase in MPG and performance. These tires I would rate a 6 out of 10, 5 being average, 10 being phenomenal. My Strategys I rate a strong 4, maybe weak 5.


Got some pictures for y'all too. MPG was from my commute from work to home, a hilly highway. :)
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]]> Gen II Prius Fuel Economy jellybug http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=109238 New owner needs help... http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108964&goto=newpost Thu, 10 May 2012 22:46:24 GMT I just bought my car a week ago with a full tank and drove maybe 150 miles and right now I'm at half a tank! The monitor shows me avg 35.3mpg

Here's the situation.
1. I drive maybe 10-15 miles city driving round trip to work. With A/C constantly on at 72. It's been around 95 degrees outside.
2. I don't know when the 12v battery has been changed. I figured before I spend $150 for the battery I wanna get some opinions first.
3. The dealer just fixed a P1121 code and thought that maybe it could affect MPG.
4. Maybe with the A/C on almost full blast at a stop light might keep the engine running more often which causes me to lose MPG.

I'm just jealous hearing about everyone's MPG in the 40's and wanna know if its my driving habits or a battery change or something worse!

Thanks in advance.. ]]> Gen II Prius Fuel Economy powder brown http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108964 12V battery plays big role in mpg http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108435&goto=newpost Wed, 02 May 2012 13:41:03 GMT Hi I have prius 2007 T4 its been really fine until last month i have always achieve 53mpg in and around London but suddenly it started running... Hi
I have prius 2007 T4 its been really fine until last month i have always achieve 53mpg in and around London but suddenly it started running sluggish, i took it to Toyota and they recommended service which i did at the cost of 249 pound but this did not resolve problem engine was still rough and mpg dropped to 38mpg. Even i added fuel cleaner as well but no luck, now thats where the fun start one morning it refuses to start like no lights on dash i called AA all they did was checked battery and jump started car as per AA battery had 12.01 V and its fine but as per my research 12v battery must have minimum 12.8v to run prius at optimum. I replaced the battery just standard bosh s4 155 type cost 46 pound and waoo its like brand new car all sluggish gone and my 53mpg has came back and actually i see more time to time, so 12v battery plays very important role in mpg if your is 4 year old just dump it its a DIY job ]]> Gen II Prius Fuel Economy Ansur http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=108435